Leo and Penelope: A Different Way
by thegirlwiththetrident
Summary: What if Percy and Jason had gotten enough of Gaia's blood in their final battle? How would life have changed for Leo and Penelope if things had gone a Different Way? Find out now in this series of one-shots, with lots of Lenelope and of course all the rest of the Argo II crew! This is an AU sequel to "The Light in the Sky", reading it is recommended before starting this :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hurray, the one-shots are here!  
Gods I missed writing about these two!  
Hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think and if there are any requests,  
just tell me in your review :)  
Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus, as I'm sure we all know ;)  
Love ya! **

Leo and Penelope: A Different Way

When Leo woke up the next day, he couldn't believe how good his life was. And that was a thought  
he'd had maybe three times in his whole sixteen years.  
Yesterday they'd returned from their quest to save the world (yet again) and enjoyed a huge celebration, which had lasted long into the night.  
It was no wonder therefore, that today the whole camp was having a lie-in, something rare and  
thus all the more valued at Camp Half-Blood.  
Normally Chiron would have them up and running at eight o'clock the latest , but today the old centaur was still in bed himself, probably sleeping off the bottle of three hundred year old wine he'd sampled in Dionysus' honour yesterday.  
After stretching a little bit, Leo got up and took a shower, letting the hot water drizzle all over him.  
That felt good.  
He got out and dried off, catching sight of his reflection in the mirror.  
His and Penelope's trip to the underworld had not left him unblemished:  
The brown tone of his skin still looked a little gray, and his eyes weren't quite back to their normal  
chocolate colour. His chest, arms and legs were even skinnier than they'd been before, making his  
rib bones stick out more prominently, and sometimes he still felt like his feet weren't properly connected to the ground.  
But Leo wasn't bothered by all of this, he'd gladly endure even more changes as long as he and Pen  
were alive and where they belonged.  
The thought of Penelope made him smile, and he hurriedly got dressed. It felt like ages since he'd  
last seen her, even though it was a couple hours at best.  
After almost losing her in the underworld, Leo got a nervous feeling anytime she wasn't close by.  
Trying not to wake up all of his siblings, he left cabin nine and made his way over across the green  
to where the black and purple Hecate building glinted in the early morning sunlight.  
Once there, he walked around to search for a window without a curtain drawn. He'd just come back to the front when a voice called  
"Stalking so early in the morning Valdez?"  
Leo turned around with a grin on his face.  
"Maybe" he said "There's this girl I like, you see"  
The girl coming towards him laughed, her long dark hair braided down the right side of her face.  
"Oh, and who's this lucky person if I may ask?"  
"You wouldn't know her." Leo said offhandedly. "She's this super pretty Hecate daughter with amazing eyes and a smile to die for."  
Pen gave him a shove, but left her hands on his stomach.  
"Didn't know you could be so smooth" she smirked at him, and then tilted her head up to give him a kiss.  
"Well it worked better than I thought." Leo winked, and Pen grinned.  
"Breakfast?"  
"Yup"  
As they made their way toward the dining pavilion, Leo watched Pen from the side.  
At first glance she didn't look any different than she'd had two months ago, but when you knew her well, you noticed the changes: Her hair no longer gleamed reddish in the sun, and there was a definite steel note to the bright turquoise eyes. Her usually creamy skin tone had the slightest tinge of gray in it, like Leo's, and she had lost weight.  
Pen noticed him watching her.  
"Different, isn't it?" she said, trying to sound like it didn't bother her, but he detected a little worry in her voice.  
"Yeah." Leo agreed, as there was no point in denying it. "But it doesn't matter."  
Pen smiled at him gratefully, and they had fun throwing each other different foods at breakfast, trying to make the distance between the Hecate and Hephaestus table, but not always succeeding.  
Soon most of the Argo II crew had found its way to the dining pavilion as well and sat down, each at their own table, which was a little ridiculous, but rules were rules.  
Well, most of the time anyway.  
After eating their full, Leo told Pen he was heading to the forges to start working on a new project.  
"You have to be careful though, remember. Around fire I mean." Pen said, her voice a little edgy, which made Leo feel kinda bad.  
"I know" he said defensively, then added in a softer tone "Don't worry. I'll manage."  
"Sure." Pen told him.  
Before he left, she called "Capture the flag in two nights time!" to him, to which Leo responded  
"Yeah, Hephaestus verses Hecate I heard.", winking at her.  
Penelope raised her eyebrows, then flashed him an evil grin.  
"Oh, you are going down Valdez. You are going down."


	2. Chapter 2

**Lots of bromancey fluff in this chapter, guys ;)  
This was requested by a Guest, I hope you enjoy it!  
Thank you lovelies for the reviews I've gotten so far, it's so nice to see some Lenelope supporters :) You're just way too awesome.  
All rights go to Rick Riordan, except for my OC.  
**

~Jason's POV~ 

"So, it's a deal then" Percy said and held out his fist.  
Frank, Leo, and Jason bumped it, grinning broadly.  
"The girls won't know what hit 'em" Percy smiled, a little evily, which kinda made Jason glad the son of Poseidon was now on his team during capture the flag tomorrow night.  
"I have to clarify with Clarisse though" Frank said, looking a bit doubtful. "Better do that now."  
"Scared of your own sister, Zhang?" Leo asked Frank, raising his eyebrow challengingly.  
Frank didn't take the bait, but simply smiled with his eyebrows drawn together. "I'd like to see you in the Ares' Cabin, Valdez. You wouldn't last a day. Percy, I think Chiron's looking for you. Coming?"  
"Yep" Percy replied, hoisting himself of the ground of the arena, where the four boys had been sitting planning their strategy for Friday night.  
"See you two later" Frank said, and left with Percy in his wake.  
Leo turned his back on them, and held out his hand.  
Jason had seen his best friend do this about a million times, and was waiting for the flames to start,  
to flicker across the tan skin of Leo's fingers.  
But nothing happened, and after a moment Leo put his hand back down.  
"Old habit" He tried to grin at Jason, but Jason wasn't fooled. He could see the look of disappointment in Leo's eyes, and knew how much losing his fire abilities affected him.  
"Maybe you could ask your Dad for another blessing" Jason suggested, but Leo waved the idea away.  
"Nah, couldn't do that. He gave it to me and I lost it, but I lost if for something good, so it's okay."  
Jason knew Leo didn't want to talk about it anymore, and so he let the subject rest.  
Still, his thoughts strayed back to the time Leo had lost the fire affinity.  
He'd been in Turkey then, searching for Hecate's sacred temple, while Jason and the rest had sailed to Epirus.  
There they'd waited for Leo and Penelope to return, or at least Leo.  
But he hadn't come.  
And then, one day, without forewarning, the news: Leo and Pen were dead.  
Jason shuddered as he remembered the way he'd felt when Nico had told them.  
At first, he couldn't believe it.  
Why would Nico know if Leo had died, if they weren't even in the same country?  
But then, slowly, the denial had disappeared and a horrible state of shock had overcome Jason.  
He hadn't been able to comprehend it:  
How could Leo, the one who always had a sarcastic remark ready, who managed to make everyone smile even in the worst moments, who could tinker his way out of any situation, be gone?  
How could his best friend be dead?  
Just like that. Without Jason being able to tell him thank you for saving his life countless times and being the best and weirdest friend in the world.  
During the nights after their discovery of Leo's death, Piper had come to Jason's cabin.  
She hadn't broken down, but climbed into his bed, lying stock still, only her hand crushing Jason's.  
At some point though, the tears had come.  
Silently they'd flooded her face, making no noise because the horror they had felt could not be expressed by sound.  
True pain could only be found in silence, when there was nothing left to say.  
After a few nights like this, with Piper crying silently beside him and Jason still too numb inside to react in any way, a realization had come to Jason.  
And he'd told Piper to stop crying, told her that they had to pull themselves together and go back to their mission.  
When Piper had asked why, he'd told her:  
Leo would not have accepted them acting like this. He would have told them to pack it in, to stop crying like a pair of ghouls and get up and do something worthwhile.  
Because that was who Leo was, practical and insightful, seeing the stuff that needed to be done and then going ahead and doing it.  
He'd probably would have cracked a joke at his own death, something along the lines of  
"At least now I'm dead, I get to enjoy Elysium some without you people bothering me"  
This had made Piper laugh, and add "Yeah, but Leo's joke would have been better."  
So they'd agreed to stop acting they way they had, in honour of their best friend, and to start remembering Leo as he had been, funny and weird, and one of the better people in the world.

"Hey, dude!" a voice suddenly called Jason back to the present.  
"What?"  
"You totally zoned out there." Leo told him, raising his eyebrows mockingly. "Don't think I want to know what you were thinking of"  
"No" Jason laughed "Don't think you do."  
Leo got up and pulled Jason to his feet, leading the way to the pavilion for dinner.  
All the way he kept up a constant stream of conversation.  
"Okay, so tomorrow right? I have this great idea for a trap. If I can just get Nyssa to get me those extra-poison-repelling screw drivers.."  
As Leo went on and on about technical stuff Jason had no clue of, he couldn't help but smile a little to himself.  
For even though sometimes Leo seemed different than before, both in looks and demeanor, Jason knew his best friend was still there, alive and beside him, the way it should have been all along.  
And he was glad.

**Yey, Leo and Jason bromance! Love their friendship.  
Any requests for future one-shots?  
xxxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**V short one for ya today!  
Thanks for the reviews, I'm so happy about each one I get :)  
Don't own PJO/HOO,  
only Pen **

~Penelope's POV~

"Hades" Penelope swore as her sword went clattering onto the floor yet again.  
"Come on, Pen, I've shown you how to block it at least five times!" Percy said, trying to sound stern but ruining the effect by laughing at the same time.  
Pen gave him a murderous look, then threw her hands up in exasperation.  
"I give up" she said dramatically, nudging the weapon away with one foot. "I'm rubbish at sword fighting, always have been, always will."  
"If you just concentrated more-"  
"I _am _concentrating, Percy! I'm just no good" Pen told him, folding her arms.  
Percy was still grinning. "Well, well, Penelope. Are you saying you're giving up?"  
Pen pursed her lips. She didn't like giving up on anything, but herself and swordplay simply didn't mix. "I might be."  
"Probably better." Percy winked at her, picked up the sword and swung it around a bit.  
Pen watched him, and she couldn't help feeling impressed.  
It just looked so easy when Percy did it.  
His hands made the bronze look graceful and deadly at the same time.  
"I wish I were as good as you." Penelope muttered, not really cross anymore but more disappointed.  
Percy stopped swinging the sword. "I wasn't good right away. It's always practice, you just need more of it." He offered her the blade again.  
Penelope sighed, but took the handle nevertheless.  
"So, from the top." Percy said, and showed her the moves she was supposed to be performing.  
Pen tried really hard to memorize them, and actually managed to sort of mimic Percy's body.  
"Better." the son of Poseidon grinned at her. "Now, try blocking me again."  
He came at her with Riptide, and Pen swung her blade upwards, not quite spinning it the way she was supposed to, but somehow managing to swat the other sword out of Percy's hands and onto the arena ground.  
"I did it!" Pen cried, doing a little dance with her arms.  
"Yeah. On purpose though?" Percy raised her eyebrows at her.  
She knocked him against the chest with the flat side of her blade. "Hey! Are you implying that was luck?!"  
But she said it with a grin.

**Feel free to give me requests! xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Whoop whoop next chapie :)  
This was requested by **_**Phoenix McLean**_**, hope you like it!  
Also, I'm working on the Hogwarts Au chapter for Lara :)  
**_**ThebiggestHoOFan **_**I'm afraid I don't entirely understand what you mean.  
Do you mean I should invent a new OC and give the House of Hades my own twist thus or do you mean I should get Penelope involved? Because I kind of converted my own ending in "The Light of the Sky" so doing a HoH fic based on that wouldn't really work out.  
If you could explain what you mean that'd be great :)**

Otherwise, enjoy this please!  
Me no own

~Piper's POV~

It was half past eleven, and instead of getting ready for bed, Piper was in her cabin, silently putting on black leggins, black gloves and a black hoody.  
The note had said _Come meet me at quarter to twelve at the fire pit. Don't be late -L  
_Initially, she had little motivation to go sneaking out at night, but when she thought about how long  
it had been since she and Leo had done anything together, just the two of them, Piper had decided to go.  
If it was too silly, she could always go back to bed.  
At twenty to twelve, Piper sneaked out of her cabin as quiet as a mouse, and strained her eyes to be able to see better in the darkness.  
She made her way to the center of the cabin-square, all the while keeping a look out for Argus or the patrol Harpies.  
Suddenly she heard something and immediately crouched down, trying to blend in with the dark night around her.  
"...so tired" a female voice said softly.  
"Better get to bed quick then" a boy answered lightly.  
A moment of silence, then:  
"You won't let the trick wrenches thing wind you up, right?" the girl inquired, sounding a bit worried.  
"Wind me up? What am I, a toy?"  
"You know what I mean."  
"Fine. Don't worry, I'll sort it out."  
"Why does that not reassure me at all?"  
Piper had recognized the voices. They belonged to Pen and Leo, and for a moment Piper wondered what they were doing here, but then her Aphrodite senses (which of course she didn't actually possess, oh no) took over and she listened in again.  
"Right then, fire boy, I'll let you sort it out. Don't get caught at least." Pen was telling Leo in a tone that sounded half exasperated, half amused.  
"I won't. I got myself the very best of accomplices." Leo whispered conspiratorially, and Piper grinned from her hide-out.  
"Okay then. Now give me a kiss and clear off." Pen said, and there was another silence, obviously filled with a kiss.  
"Night. See you tomorrow."  
"You too, magic girl."  
There was the sound of soft footsteps on the grassy ground, and then nothing.  
Piper stood up, walking closer to a dark shape that must be Leo.  
"Hey" she whispered, and the dark shape jumped.  
"Jeez, Pipes, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Leo hissed, the whites of his eyes dancing in the gloom.  
"I'm not the one standing outside flirting." Piper smirked back, and two rows of white teeth gleamed back at her.  
"You're just jealous" Leo grinned, probably wriggling his eyebrows.  
"Okay, you've caught me." Piper admitted in mock surrender. "I don't actually love Jason but am very jealous of your relationship with Penelope."  
"I knew it!" Leo laughed, but immediately stifled the sound, which was rather loud in comparison with the otherwise silent night.  
"Right Mister Awesome, let's get whatever you have planned over with before you get us caught and eaten." Piper told Leo, and followed him as he nodded and started walking away.  
"As you might have heard" Leo said to Piper as they walked towards the Hermes cabin "The Hermes' lot thought it was funny to replace our wrenches with trick ones which turned into rubber ducks the moment we touched them."  
Piper hadn't heard, and so she couldn't suppress a snigger.  
"Hey!" Leo shot at her. "You're on _my _side"  
"Sorry" Piper coughed, trying hard to stifle her laughter. Just the idea of the look on Leo's face when his wrench turned into a duck!  
"Anyway" he continued, stubbornly ignoring his friend's shaking shoulders "I'm going to prank them back."  
"How?" Piper, who had calmed down, asked. She didn't like the tone in Leo's voice. It was full of mischief and it never ended up well when he used it. Quite a few detentions at the ole' Wilderness School came to mind, detentions which had almost always had this voice as a predecessor.  
"I'll show you when we're up"  
"Up?"  
Piper barely had time to register they'd stopped in front of a brick building, when Leo already started to scramble up its side, using the window as a foot ledge. He was up on the roof quicker than a flash.  
"Come on!" he hissed down at her, beckoning.  
"I'm not going up there!" Piper hissed back, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching them.  
"Yes you are. I need a look-out. And if I remember correctly, you're my look-out dude."  
Piper smiled as she heard him use his old nickname for her.  
Sometimes it was difficult to remember that not everything about her time at Wilderness School had been a lie caused by the Mist.  
The memories she had of Leo and her alone were true, and perhaps she should try a little harder to remember that.  
He was her first best friend, and he always would be.  
"Fine" she said, and started to scramble up the side of the cabin as well.  
It took her a little longer than Leo, who held out his hand for her, grinning.  
"Out of shape are we, beauty queen?"  
"Shut up."

When they were both standing on top of the roof, Leo produced a little metal ball from his toolbelt.  
"This" he told Piper, his features barely illuminated by the thin moon in the sky "is a miniature super power alarm clock. It's wired to attach itself on the inside of the chimney, and at half past three in the morning it'll go off like a siren, only worse.  
And the best part is, they wont be able to find the source of the noise because it sends its sound waves off around the walls, so it'll seem like the noise is coming from all sides when in reality, it's coming from the roof!"  
Leo grinned at her manically, obviously pleased with himself for making up such an amazing plan.  
Piper smiled, but immediately spotted a flaw in the plan.  
"But won't the rest of us be woken up as well if that thing goes off? To be honest I like sleeping a little longer than half past three am"  
Her friend seemed pleased she'd asked that question.  
"You're underestimating me, Pipes. I've installed a special little chip which'll alter the sound waves to make them trap themselves inside the cabin. That way, we wont hear a thing! And the best thing is, the alarm clock folds in on itself after the battery runs out, so they won't be able to prove we did anything! Cool, ey?"  
She had to admit, it was pretty cool. And also ingenious. "Sounds awesome."  
Leo told her to keep a look-out while he started up the device. "I just have to enter a few strings of code and we'll be off. Watch out for the harpies!"  
While Leo bent over the chimney, Piper sat down at the edge of the Hermes' cabin's roof. It was a cloudy night and a thin moon, so there was barely any light.  
The adrenaline she'd felt before had worn off, leaving her sleepy, her eyes burning.  
She probably shouldn't have scaled the lava wall that last time, that had really worn her out.  
But she'd wanted to practice for when they would be visiting Camp Jupiter next month, just so she wouldn't seem weak in front of the Romans.  
Mhm, the crickets were singing in the distant fields, and the scent of the strawberries wafted over to them.  
It was all so peaceful... Surely it wouldn't hurt if she closed her eyes just for a second...  
"Piper!" Leo suddenly yelled, grabbing her around the middle before she could topple over the edge of the roof.  
"Wha-what?" Piper asked, confused. Then, horrified, she realised she'd fallen asleep. "Oh gods, I'm sorry." she apologized to Leo. But one look over his shoulder made her insides freeze.  
"Harpies!" she cried, pointing.  
Leo whirled around and watched in horror as three huge, ugly chicken ladies flew towards them, cackling evily, their eyes flashing.  
"Food! Glorious food!" They sang, their voices rough and horrible.  
"What do we do?!" Piper asked, panic in her voice.  
"What d'ya think?! RUN!" Leo called, running over to the edge of the cabin floor. He didn't hesitate a second before jumping over the side onto the ground, waiting for Piper to do the same.  
She didn't even think about the possibility of breaking her ankle, she just wanted to get away from those flesh eating chicken women.  
With a bump, Piper landed beside Leo and the two of them set off sprinting across the center green, towards the Aphrodite cabin which was in the opposite direction of where the Harpies were coming from.  
They barely managed to slam the door behind them before they could hear three thuds of chicken ladies flying against the door.  
Some of Piper's siblings yelled "Shut it!" and "I need my sleep, jeez", but mostly they were all to preoccupied with sleeping to wake up.  
Leo and Piper sank to the ground, panting hard.  
"Holy Hephaestus, Pipes. You are the _worst _look-out dude _ever_!"  
"Sorry." Piper gasped, trying to be quiet as to not bring down the wrath of the sleeping beauties upon them. "Fell asleep."  
"You don't say?!" Leo demanded, with a fake look of surprise.  
After maybe fifteen minutes, they dared to glance out of the window. Nothing seemed to be moving, and so Leo decided to try and make his way back to his cabin.  
"Leo, are you sure?" Piper said, biting her lip. "I can give you a blanket and you can crash here."  
Leo shook his head. "And die of suffocation? This perfume's like poison!"  
Piper shrugged, she barely smelled it anymore.  
"I'll be fine." Leo said, and quietly opened the door.  
He was about two steps outside, when Piper thought of something.  
"Hey, Leo!" she hissed, making him turn around.  
"What?"  
"Did you manage to attach the alarm clock?"  
Leo gave her an evil smile, his eyes dancing with undeniable success.  
"Oh, I think we can safely say that the Hermes lot will be in for...quite a wake up call."  
He jogged away, chuckling like a maniac, and Piper closed the door, rolling her eyes.  
It was good to have him back.


	5. Chapter 5

**New Chapie!  
Thanks for the reviews, tell me how you like this one :)  
All rights to Rick Riordan**

~Penelope's POV~

When Pen walked into the rec room of the Big House, she couldn't help but smile a little at the sight that greeted her there:  
Percy and Jason were having an intense table tennis fight, with Frank and Leo cheering them on.  
Chiron was sitting in his wheelchair talking to Annabeth, who was showing him something on her  
new laptop with eagerness in her face.  
In the other corner, Piper and Hazel were making hot chocolate, rummaging around for little marshmallows and giggling about something or other.  
It was a scene Pen wouldn't have thought possible only months ago.  
"Ah, Penelope" Chiron smiled at her, motioning for her to sit down in the chair next to him.  
"Sorry I'm late" Pen smiled, and walked into the room, carefully side-stepping Percy, who was doing some pretty impressive and extremely elaborate arm movements to keep the ball in the game.  
"I was doing some pegasi riding."  
"Oh, did you see the new one?" Hazel called over, accidentally spilling the cocoa she had in her hand as her eyes sparkled with excitement.  
"The chestnut?" Pen asked.  
"Yeah. It's beautiful, isn't it?"  
"I rode it" Penelope said with a grin, and Hazel raised her eyebrows.  
"You did? How'd it go?"  
"A bit..rocky." Both of them laughed as Pen showed her jeans, which were covered in mud from when the new pegasus had thrown her off repeatedly.  
Just then, Jason knocked the ball over to Percy so quickly, that the latter used a jet of water from a glass on the side to knock it back.  
"Cheating!" Jason yelled, but his eyes sparkled with challenge. A gush of wind made the little round object shoot into Percy's direction and bash his face.  
"Ow!" Percy complained, rubbing his nose while Frank, Jason and Leo cracked up.  
"Well then" Chiron said when the boys had quietened down again. "As we're all here now, we can begin our meeting."  
They all dragged their chairs over to the ping pong table, and Piper and Hazel passed out the hot chocolate.  
"What did you want to tell us, Chiron?" Frank asked the centaur, fiddling his praetor badge.  
Him and Hazel were currently still on holiday and spending the rest of it at Camp Half-Blood. Sometimes is was hard for Pen to accept that her friends would be leaving them soon. There was no knowing when they'd see them again.  
"I know you've all been through a lot lately." Chiron told them, his kind gaze resting on each of them. "And normally I wouldn't be asking this of you. But I'm afraid a situation has arisen, and it requires the help of the best heroes we have, which happen to be, well, the eight of you."  
Everyone stared at Chiron. Surely there couldn't be another problem _again_?  
So soon after the war had finished, Pen thought, waiting for the centaur to go on. It had been barely a month.  
"And what's this new thing the gods need doing?" Percy asked Chiron, a definite edge to his voice.  
It was something Annabeth had mentioned to her the other day, and Pen had seen it for herself a few times as well: Percy seemed to have developed a slight resentment toward the Olympians, and although he wasn't especially outspoken about it, you could notice it in the comments he made or the way his tone grew stoney at a mention of them, like now for example.  
And it wasn't only him, Pen mused. She could see a hard set in Piper and Frank's mouths, Hazel raising her eyebrows and Leo tapping his fingers against the table, the way he did when he was annoyed.  
Apparently, Chiron was noticing their reactions as well, for he sighed and then said, slowly.  
"I know how you are feeling. For the past few months you have been burdened with tasks no one should ever have to face and far from making it easier, the gods have made your lives more difficult and dangerous. You are disappointed in them, and you have every right to be, to a certain extent." He paused, and Pen met his eyes, which were deep and full of the sadness of a man who had lived too many years and seen too many terrible things. But there was also hope in there, she realised.  
Chiron went on:  
"But you must never forget this: How ever much you resent them, how ever much you wished that they were different, the Olympians are your family. And family never gives up on each other."  
Suddenly Pen found it difficult to meet his eyes. She saw some of the others adverting their gaze as well.  
"I won't force you to do anything, heroes. But I must tell you that your family needs your help."  
There was silence after Chiron's little speech, until Annabeth spoke up.  
"What do they need?" she asked.  
Chiron seemed relieved at the question.  
"Well, it requires a trip to New York you see..."

_To be continued _


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for not updating sooner!  
Still working on the Hogwart's Au chapies :) They're coming along though!  
Enjoy and remember I don't own the characters except Pen**

  
~Penelope's POV~

"So, we're going to town tomorrow" a voice came from the doorway of the Hecate cabin, which was standing open in order to let in a desperately awaited cool draft.  
"Seems like it" Pen grinned, not looking around but recognizing her boyfriend's voice anyway.  
She was currently braiding her hair down her side, and continued to until she heard footsteps stop right behind her.  
"Braiding doesn't look very difficult." Leo stated, appearing behind her in the mirror.  
"Wanna try?" she laughed, offering the half done braid to him.  
Leo took the hair into his hands and Pen was about to explain how to do it, when he'd already started, deftly intertwining the dark strands fast and precisely, until the braid was finished. Pen handed him a hairband and he tied the end, letting the do fall back onto her shoulder.  
"You're very good at that" Penelope said, raising an eyebrow. "Thinking of a career as a hairdresser?"  
"Please" Leo scoffed "I'm a mechanic. I built the _Argo,_ Pen, do you honestly think I couldn't handle something as simple as a braid?"  
Pen leaned forward, as if to kiss him, but instead whispered "You built the Argo _II, _my friend."  
"How dare you-" Leo cried, grabbed her around the middle and dragged her over to her bed, where he let her fall onto the covers and started to tickle her, hard.  
"Are" Leo said every word like a complete sentence, ignoring the squeals "You. Trying. To. Imply. That. My. Ship. Isn't. Spectacular?"  
"Leoo, stohop!" Pen shrieked, half laughing, half crying.  
"Not until you say my ship's the best"  
"But I didn't-"  
Leo now grabbed hold of her feet and started to tickle her there, making her laugh even harder.  
"And _what _do you think you're doing?!" someone suddenly said, making both Leo and Penelope jump so badly, they nearly fell of the bed.  
Chleo was standing in front of them, her mouth pressed in a thin line, her hands on her hips.  
"We were-" Leo tried to explain but faltered under the stare Penelope's older sister gave him.  
"Chleo, weren't you, er, doing archery?" Pen tried to go for a conversational tone, but Chleo's expression didn't change.  
"We finished early." she told them. "Now get out before I hex you."  
Both Leo and Pen scrambled off the bed and hastily left the cabin, not daring to not take the threat seriously. They ran all the way to the edge of the forest, finally stopping and completely out of breath at the edge of the trees.  
"Sweet Baby Zeus" Leo coughed, leaning against a tree trunk. "I thought we were gonna be cursed back there."  
"Don't say that." Penelope panted, clutching a stitch in her side. "You might give her ideas."  
"I thought she likes me" Leo now complained, giving up on standing and slumping down onto the ground.  
Pen had to smile at the childish pout on his mouth.  
"Oh, she doesn't like you." she said teasingly. "She merely _tolerates _you. And if she thought for a second that you were being a bad influence, well, you'd be turned to stone faster than you can say Epirus." She crouched down in front of him and held out a pebble from the ground to prove her point.  
The shadows of the tree's crown was falling over half of Leo's face, and the odd streaks of light made him look even wilder than usual. A daredevil grin appeared on his lips.  
"Me? A bad influence? Don't know how she'd get that idea."  
"No? I sort of understand." Pen whispered, leaning in. She half fell, half was pulled against him, and they kissed, hidden under the trees and out of sight of vengeful sisters.  
It was an intense kiss, and every thought of tomorrow was erased from her mind, including the dangerous part she'd have to play.

**Requests? xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**This was requested by **_**I am Lara daughter of Hecate :)  
**_**The Hogwarts AU will probably be around four chapters, I was planning on only writing Leo and Pen, but then I couldn't get Annabeth and Percy out of my head so there ya go.  
I don't own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson and the Olympians /Heroes of Olympus.  
Hope you like this Lara!  
**

Hogwarts AU

The letter:

_Annabeth: _

On her eleventh birthday at exactly seven am, Annabeth Chase started screaming. Now, this wasn't because a spider had found its way into her room, as one might assume, but because the mail had just arrived.  
From upstairs came running footsteps, and soon Annabeth's mother, father and her three brothers were crowded around her, all craning their necks to get a better look.  
"Let me see" "No, me!" "I was here first" "LIAR!"  
"Shush!" Her mother told the two little boys, and they quietened down, eagerly looking at their big sister, who was reading a letter with rapt attention.  
When she'd finished, she held the letter close to her chest, her eyes closed.  
"Honey?" Her father asked, tentatively. "What does it say?"  
"I-" Annabeth started, but her voice came out rough and she had to clear her throat before continuing. "I'm in."  
Her whisper was drowned in the whoops and cried of joy of her parents and siblings, even the pet cat was meowing happily it seemed.  
"Oh darling that is magnificent!" Her mother, who was really her step-mother, said and hugged her.  
Annabeth grinned dazedly against her mum's chest.  
It was too good to be real. She'd hoped and hoped for it to happen of course, but never had she actually thought it would.  
Her situation was an extraordinary one: Her father was a muggle, and he'd raised Annabeth by himself after Annabeth's biological Mum had died. Annabeth had always been an odd child, claiming to be able to move objects with her eyes alone and sometimes turning her pillow cover green. Mr Chase had always tried to put these things off, ignore them basically. He felt uneasy, and when he'd met Suzy, his soon to be fiancee, he'd hesitated for a long time before introducing her to Annabeth.  
But as it turned out, Suzy had a secret herself: She was a witch.  
The moment Suzy and Annabeth met, the young woman realized what her future step-daughter was, and she'd welcomed her with open arms.  
Annabeth had been thrilled to finally be understood, and Mr Chase, after some long evenings of shaking his head and repeating "No, it can't be true, you're not both..", had come to terms with the changed situation in his house.  
Nobody could tell if Annabeth was a muggle-born or if her real mother had been part of the magical community too. The little girl had feared that she might not be magic enough to receive an acceptance to the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry.  
But all that didn't matter now.  
She had the letter, the one asking her to board the Hogwarts Express at eleven o'clock on September the first.  
She could hardly wait.

_Percy:_

"Happy Birthday Sweety! Wake up!"  
"Ugh"  
"Come on, Percy, there's something on the kitchen counter for you!" His mother's words finally sparked enough interest in the black haired eleven year old boy to make him roll out of bed and slouch into the kitchen.  
The moment he saw what exactly it was that was lying there however, a jolt ran through him and he raced up to the counter and snatched up the yellowish envelope.  
After quickly skimming through the lines written in green ink, Percy spun around on the spot and ran back to his room, where his mother was straightening the covers.  
"MUM! MUM MUM MUM MUM MUM!" Percy yelled and he crashed into her, sending them both sprawling on the no longer made bed, laughing their heads off.  
"I assume it's good news?" Sally Jackson asked her son tauntingly, and he grinned at her, his sea green eyes alight and flashing with excitement.  
"Yes! I got in, Mum!I'M GOING TO HOGWARTS!"  
His Mum smiled and gave him a huge hug.  
"I'm so proud of you baby." she said tearily.  
"Mum" Percy complained, ducking out from under her grasp "I'm not a baby any more!"  
Sally watched as her son started to jump through their little apartment, singing the Hogwarts song she'd taught him when he was five.  
"No, you're not any more." she whispered, wiping away a tear.  
Twenty minutes later, when Percy had finally calmed down a little, they sat down at the breakfast table and Sally served blue waffles, her son's all time favourite and special birthday treat.  
"Thanks Mum" Percy grinned at her, munching away happily. "When can we go buy my things?"  
Sally checked her magical calendar, the one her mother had given her on her eleventh birthday. It was bewitched to always show the correct date, weather, time, the birthday of every relative plus a suggestion for a gift and remind you loudly of the next doctor's appointment.  
"How about next Friday?" she suggested, waving her wand to make the dishes stack themselves in the kitchen.  
"Yes!" Percy said eagerly.  
"That reminds me darling, you should ring your father and tell him about the letter."  
"But he'll ring anyway this afternoon!"  
"Still, he'll want to know as soon as possible."  
"Okay" Percy agreed, and bounced over to the telephone.  
His father, a half-blood , lived in Iceland and worked as a geologist on stones with magical properties.  
Sometimes Sally missed him a lot, but sometimes (for example when she passed Paul Blofis at the local store) the separation seemed like the right way to go.  
When Percy returned from the telephone, Sally offered him his birthday cards.  
"The first one's from your uncle and cousin. I bet Jason will be thrilled that you got your letter too."

**Good? Bad? Tell me what ya think! ;) xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Lara, **_**I'm so sorry this took so long! I literally forgot all about it!  
I know, I'm horrible :(  
Anyway, I hope you like it and that anybody else reading it likes it and for those who don't fancy a Hogwarts AU, I would advise you to just skip ;)  
Disclaimer: What ya recognize ain't mine. (HP + PJO/HoO)**

~Penelope's POV~

First year

Her first journey to Hogwarts was almost exactly like she'd imagined it would be from everything her older sister Chleo had told her.  
Platform nine and three quarters, packed with wizards of every size and colour, owls hooting, cats meowing and the great scarlet steam engine giving off a long whistle.  
Once she was aboard, Pen found a place in a compartment with three other people: Annabeth Chase,

Piper McLean and Katie Gardner.  
The girls all got along really well, and talked excitedly about which house they might be sorted into.  
"To be honest, I have no idea what I'm going to be" Pen admitted, and Annabeth grinned.  
"Me neither. Though if anything I suppose it would be Ravenclaw for me."  
After hours of eating chocolate frogs and Every-flavour beans, they finally journeyed across the lake with a huge man called Hagrid.  
Once they'd reached Hogwarts, Pen could no longer deny her excitement.  
The sorting hat had finished its song and it was time for them to be told which house they would become a part of.  
First off, Annabeth. Almost as soon as she'd put it on, the hat shouted "Ravenclaw!"  
Annabeth grinned and walked off to the cheering Ravenclaw table.  
Next, Katie: "Hufflepuff!"  
A boy named Jason smiled at Pen on his way up. He too was sorted into Hufflepuff.  
After that, Piper: "Gryffindor!"  
Finally, after what seemed like ages, and after somebody called Percy Jackson had been sorted into Hufflepuff as well, it was Penelope's turn: With shaking legs, she walked up and sat on the stool, closing her eyes and waiting for the verdict.  
But she needn't have worried. The sorting hat took its time considering and then finally shouted out:  
"Ravenclaw!"  
With a relieved sigh, Pen took off the hat and walked over to where Annabeth was cheering with the rest of the Ravenclaws.  
The sorting went by faster after that, only a few names stood out.  
Ramirez-Arellano, Reyna Avila (impressive name, Pen thought): Gryffindor.  
Valdez, Leo: Hufflepuff. He looked like trouble, Penelope noted as she saw him give an impish grin and bounce off to join Jason and Katie.  
Zhang, Frank: Gryffindor.  
After the sorting, Penelope ate her full, chatting with her new friends and house mates.  
That evening, she went to sleep with a smile on her face.

Second year

~Penelope's POV~

The second year at Hogwarts was no less exciting than the first. Groups of friends had stabilised a little more, and Penelope was getting better at magic every day. She and Annabeth were the top of every class, except for Transfiguration, which they had with the Gryffindors. Penelope didn't think that anybody could be better at that subject than Frank Zhang.  
That year, Annabeth and she tried out for the Quidditch team, but only Annabeth got on, as a Chaser.

Pen and Piper, who was their other best friend, didn't stop teasing Annabeth about it for at least two months.  
"Come on, Chase, can't you chase a little better?" they'd call at games, or another favourite:  
"Chase it, Chase!"  
In fact, 'Chase it, Chase' became so popular, it was often used in everyday language, instead of 'make an effort'. Annabeth was not pleased, or so she tried to pretend.

Third year

~Leo's POV~

In his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, things started to get interesting, or at least they did for Leo's three best friends: Frank, Percy and Jason all had crushes, and all they ever talked about were girls. To be honest, Leo was quite annoyed by it all.  
Jason had even plucked up the courage to ask Piper out, and they were supposed to meet in Hogsmead next weekend.  
But then something happened which made Leo change his mind about love and dating once and for all: Detention with Penelope Rider.


End file.
